Now what?

If you didn’t get the opportunity to join us or missed a post for A Living Hope Bible Study you can find the list of links at the bottom of this post.  I am glad that all of you joined me. It was a blessing to hear your thoughts and hearts on the topics.

Now What?

We want to grow, don’t we? We want to put life into action and be intentional.

How many times do you feel inclined to do a new thing and then it fizzles and life moves on and you forget what you were so excited about? We don’t want that to happen especially this time of year.

Quite possible, no matter who you are, your recent weeks were spent in preparation for Easter. An event that not only has gapped generations but cultures and religions.

The reason the topic of the cross is so controversial is because we are forced to make a decision about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do you believe the events that have been told for 2000 years or do you choose to reject them?

One of the most popular movies this time of year is The Ten Commandments. While I would urge you to watch any biblical-based movie or book with the backdrop of the Bible as real context, it is amazing to have life size visuals and effects for what it may have been like.

In studying this story even further one verse that stood out to me was Exodus 14:15. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!

The Israelites were backed up against a wall. Sea on one side and wilderness and Egyptians on the other side. They were in a panic and Moses was crying out to the Lord in prayer.

While we are told to pray without ceasing we are also told to walk by faith. The Lord told Moses in this verse, stop praying and get those people moving!

I believe this is where we want to be, moving! But we need to be intentional and move for the purposes of giving Glory to God.

That is exactly why the Lord wanted the Israelites to get moving. Through the Red Sea, God would be glorified by both the Egyptians who would claim that the Lord had fought for them and by the Israelites who would see God’s power and sovereignty over His creation reign that day.

Now what?

Make a Decision! In Joshua 24, Joshua stands to draw the lines. He tells the descendants of these very Israelites, today you must decide. Who will you serve? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. But you, you have to make a decision!

Make a Commitment! Studying God’s Word takes a commitment. It takes an intentional decision to set time apart. Do you feel like you have been in a desert in your relationship with Christ? David’s 63rd Psalm begins like this, A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). He provides the Bread of Life and the Living Water (John 6:35) we so desperately seek in our parched lives. We can’t know the truth if we don’t learn the truth. Take the time and get to know God through His Word. The reward is yours!

Pray without ceasing! Prayer can seem like one of those things that we check off our list. Read my Bible, check, prayed, check, wrote some impactful notes, check! While these things are great, we don’t want God to become a grocery list. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, pray without ceasing or without stopping. God wants our whole hearts and the communication lines to be of constant flow.  

Get moving! While we are supposed to take the time to study, there is a time to get moving. And since we are going to pray without ceasing we are going to walk and talk. Walk and Talk!

When Jesus revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene at the garden tomb, Mary wanted to cling to Christ. I can imagine she thought she lost Him once and it wasn’t going to happen again. But Jesus sent her on a mission. Go and tell the others I am alive!

There is no time to wait and the urgency is in His message. Go! Tell the others. And she does. What a blessing she must have treasured in her heart to have her Lord revealed to her. How precious she must have realized she was to Him.  

The message is the same for us today!

Don’t just cling to the Lord as if He is a treasure you keep for yourself. We have the hope of Christ in us and that joy is not something we are supposed to keep to ourselves.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the truth has been revealed to you through the Holy Spirit so…

Go! Get moving! Tell the brothers and sisters the wonderful news. He is not here! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Personal Reflections: 

Have you made a choice to follow Jesus? 

Are you willing to make a commitment to know Christ? If yes, what are you doing? If not, what do you feel is getting in your way?

Do you have a particular Bible study method or do you have your own plan?

Do you have a particular prayer strategy?

What is one thing that you can do today, this next week, month and year, to get moving?

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